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This smart fortwo Commercial Is like a Punch Below the Emotional Belt

Drama films always exploit our tendency to empathize with the people on the screen to turn the audience into a bunch of teary-eyed sissies. But when you go to see such a movie, you know what to expect.
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Photo: YouTube screenshot
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Commercials, on the other hand, they're different. Unless you've seen them before, you really don't know what's in store for you. Will this one make you laugh? Will it give you something to think about? Will it irritate you with its stupidity? Will it get lost in the sea of bad commercials we're assaulted by every day?

Well, you won't know unless you watch it. Since life tends to be full of crap anyway, we seem to prefer those that put us in a good mood. But good comedy isn't something you can create as easily as snapping your finger, and if you try and get it wrong, then your spot turns into one of those really dumb, obvious ones that simply try too hard. Get it right, though, and you've got yourself a winner.

smart didn't go down this path - it went for the much more easily accessible one. A family with kids, sad music, a puppy, a misleading title - "Who is tough enough to say goodbye?" - they all set the stage for the type of clip that will have you reaching for the Kleenex box.

The opening scene creates even more confusion. The father takes the puppy and puts it on the front seat of his station wagon. He glances at the wife who is watching from behind the curtains. If anything, this makes it look as if the parents are divorcing, and he's taking his stuff (hence the wagon) and the dog (which is usually the father's responsibility).

And then the kids come rushing out, with the older brother trying to hold the sister back as she's crying and trying to run after the car. Yup, it's definitely a break-up. But then attention shifts on the dog, and we realize we've seen this before - it's the poor puppy's last trip. But why? It's a two-month-old Golden Retriever. What could it have done? Not be cute enough? Is it terminally ill and needs to be put down?

As the two reach a deserted plant, the puppy is taken out of the car and placed on the ground. The door closes. At this point, all that goes through your head are ways in which you would like to kill this man you don't even know.

As the music goes into a crescendo, the camera pans away from the station wagon, and we see the father and the puppy heading back home, but not before the man glances back at the old vehicle. Well played, smart, you god damn bastards.

Turns out it's a commercial for smart electric drive Carsino, a special event organized by Daimler's brand in which "four teams from four countries say goodbye to their old cars – in order to play with them for a brand new smart fortwo electric drive." Yeah, whatever, we're just glad nothing happened to the puppy.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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